Because the supply of fossil fuels, natural gas, and other natural fuels is finite and because the processing and/or consumption of such fuels produces significant detrimental amounts of pollution, alternatives to such fuels have been experimented with, and in some cases implemented over the years. The need for alternatives to such natural, pollution producing fuels is further compounded by the rapidly expanding population of the Earth which is increasing the consumption of such fuels at an exponential rate.
As a result, heretofore, various alternatives to such fuels have been experimented with over the years. For example, many attempts have been made at harnessing the power of solar energy, water energy, or so-called non-polluting gases such as hydrogen. In this regard, although various hydropower machines have been developed and/or proposed in recent times, few of these machines have been successful in practical application, a notable exception being a conventional turbine.
Although the earliest turbines are believed to have been developed in the 19th century, improvements in turbine designs, as well as in their implementations in power generation systems, are desirable in the art. For example, it would be desirable to have a turbine design that is able to take advantage of the tendency of fluid, such as water, to flow in circular-angle patterns (or other off axis patterns), such as whirlpool patterns, such as when fluid flows through confined pathways such as pipes, conduits, penstocks, and/or draft tubes.
In view of these and other desires for improvements in the art, it is a purpose of the herein described inventions to address one or more of such desires as well as, or in the alternative, other needs which will become more apparent to the skilled artisan once given the present disclosure.